Jobseeker's Allowance

Introduction

If you are unemployed, you may be paid either Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) or
Jobseeker's Benefit (JB).
Both payments are paid by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social
Protection (DEASP).

You may get Jobseeker's Allowance if you don't qualify for Jobseeker's
Benefit or if you have used up your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit. In some
cases, if you are only entitled to a reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit you
may be better off on Jobseeker's Allowance. However, Jobseeker's Allowance is
means-tested, and your means must be below a certain level to qualify.

The Jobseeker’s
Transitional payment (JST) is a special arrangement under the Jobseeker’s
Allowance scheme that aims to support lone parents into the workforce while
they have young children. This payment is available to people parenting alone
whose youngest child is aged between 7 and 13 years inclusive.

Budget 2018: the maximum weekly rate of Jobseeker’s
Allowance will increase by €5. This increase will also apply to those on
age-related reduced rates. In addition, the weekly rate for a qualified child
will increase by €2 from €29.80 to €31.80. These increases will take
effect from the week beginning 26 March 2018.

Rules

To get Jobseeker's Allowance you must be aged over 18 and under 66. You must
also:

Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 4
days out of 7)

Jobseeker's Allowance and work

You must be unemployed to get Jobseeker’s Allowance. You must also be
capable of, available for, and genuinely seeking full-time work to qualify for
Jobseeker’s Allowance – and you must be able to show evidence of this to
the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. However, there are
circumstances in which you can do some work and get Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Income from work affects the amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance you get.

If you get part-time or casual work (up to and including 3 days per week),
you may still be paid Jobseeker's Allowance for the other days. However, you
must show that you are trying to get full-time employment. If your employer
reduces your days at work to 3 days week or less, you may get Jobseeker's
Allowance for the other days. You must meet the other conditions that apply to
Jobseeker's Allowance, for example, you must satisfy a means test.

If you have been getting long-term Jobseeker's Allowance (over 390 days or
15 months) and you take up part-time work for less than 24 hours a week you may
be eligible for the Part-time
Job Incentive Scheme (PTJI). This scheme allows you to take up part-time
work and get a special weekly allowance instead of your jobseeker’s payment.

If you are getting JA, you can use a Benefit
of Work Ready Reckoner from the DEASP to help you assess the financial
consequences of taking up full-time work. The Reckoner works out the total
amount you would receive on taking up full-time work (including any Family
Income Supplement) and compares this to what you are getting in jobseeker
payments (including Rent Supplement). A Back
to Work Family Dividend was introduced for lone parents and long-term
jobseeker families with children who find or return to work from January 2015.

Self-employment

If you are self-employed, you may be entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance,
depending on your income from your business. You can find out more about self-employment and
unemployment. Self-employed farmers on a low income can apply for Farm Assist.

Artists

Under a pilot scheme launched in June 2017, self-employed visual artists and
writers who apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance will not be subject to the
activation process for at least 12 months. All other scheme conditions will
apply, including the means test. To participate in this programme, artists will
need a certificate from a relevant professional body. If you are a visual
artist, the body that issues certificates confirming professional status is Visual Artists Ireland. If you are a
writer, the Irish Writers Centre
is the relevant body.

Means test

Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment. Your means must be below a
certain level to get Jobseeker’s Allowance. A means test looks at all your
household sources of income including your
spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant's income. (A
cohabitant is a person living in an intimate and committed relationship with a
person of the same or opposite sex who is not that person’s spouse, civil
partner, or a close relative.)

However, some
income may not be taken into account. Your total household means is
deducted from the maximum payment for your household's circumstances to find
the actual amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance you are entitled to.

If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is getting a social welfare
payment in his or her own right (with some exceptions) or is on a Further
Education and Training (FET) course or VTOS
course and getting an allowance you will not get an Increase for a
Qualified Adult but you will get a half-rate increase for any qualified
children. A limitation applies which means that if you are claiming
Jobseeker's Allowance and your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is getting
certain social welfare payments, the total amount paid to you as a couple
cannot be more than the maximum amount that would be paid to one person
(including adult and child dependants) on one social welfare payment. Find out
more about the
means test for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

You can claim an increase for your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant while
they are taking part in a Community
Employment (CE),Tús
or Gateway
scheme. Their earnings from the scheme are assessed in the same way as earnings
from insurable employment (and your combined means are not halved).

If you are 24 years of age or under and you are living with
a parent or a step-parent in the family home, some of your parents' income will
also be taken into account in the assessment for Jobseeker's Allowance. The
Department call this an assessment of the 'benefit and privilege' you get from
living with your parents. Find out more about how
living with your parents is assessed in the means test.

Disqualification and reduction in payment

You may be disqualified from getting Jobseeker's Allowance for 9 weeks if
you:

Left work voluntarily and without just cause

Lost your job through misconduct

Refused an offer of suitable employment or training - if you have been on
a penalty rate of JA for at least 21 days

Students

If you have just left school, you cannot get Jobseeker's Allowance. To get
Jobseeker's Allowance you must have been out of school for 3 months and you
must be at least 18 years of age.

Third-level students cannot claim Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit while
they are studying full-time. This disqualification also applies to the summer
holiday periods between academic years (unless you
are a mature student). However, once you have finished college permanently
you can claim a jobseeker's payment if you cannot find work. This is also the
case if you leave college without finishing your course.

Short-term employment or training

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection operates a
fast-tracking system for people who sign off a jobseeker's payment to take up
work for a short period (up to 12 weeks) or to go on a short training course
(up to 12 weeks). This ensures that your payment is re-instated without delay.
It is important that you inform your Intreo Centre or local Social Welfare
Branch Office in advance that you are taking up work or training. Your Rent
Supplement claim can also be suspended for up to 12 weeks.

Rates

Jobseeker's Allowance rates from 8 March
2017

Age

Maximum personal rate

Increase for a qualified
adult

Increase for a qualified
child

Aged 26 and over

€193.00

€128.10

€29.80

Aged 25

€147.80

€128.10

n/a

Aged 18-24

€102.70

€102.70

n/a

Reduced personal and qualified adult rates of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA)
for people under 26 do not apply to the following claimants:

People with dependent children

People transferring from Disability Allowance to JA

People who were in the care of the Child and Family Agency during the 12
months before reaching 18. These people are assessed using the JA rate for
people aged 26 or over. This exception only applies between the ages of 18
and 24. From the age of 25, the age-related rate applies. From the age of
26, the full personal rate applies.

If you were getting an age-related reduced rate of JA and you take part in a
course of education, training or an employment support scheme the appropriate
personal rate of payment applicable to that course or scheme will apply as long
as you are aged under 26. When you complete the course you will go back to your
previous age-related JA rate.

All Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) participants aged under 26 who were
getting a reduced age-related Jobseeker’s Allowance payment, get a maximum
BTEA rate of €193 per week (increased from €160 in September 2017). Any
means you have are deducted from this rate.

Penalty rates

Your payment can be reduced if you refuse or fail to attend meetings
requested by the Department or if you refuse or fail to participate in an
appropriate employment support scheme, work experience or training. You can
find out about sanctions for not meeting the conditions of
your jobseeker's payment.

Payments for dependants

If you qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance you get an amount for yourself,
which is called the 'personal rate of payment'. You may also get an increase in
your payment for an adult
dependant and any
child dependants you may have.

Child dependantsA child dependant is usually a child up to 18 years of age
who lives with you.

If you have been getting Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 156 days and
your child is in full-time education, an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC)
will be paid up to 22 years of age or up to the end of the academic year in
which he or she reaches 22. You will only get a half-rate IQC if you and your
spouse, civil partner or cohabitant are both getting a social welfare payment.
You will each get a half-rate IQC.

Adult dependants
You may get an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) for an adult dependant
(this is usually your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant). If you are single,
widowed, divorced, separated, a former civil partner or not living with your
civil partner, and living with a person aged 16 or over, you can claim an IQA
for them but only if he or she is caring for a child dependant of yours.

If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant works or is taking part in a
Community Employment (CE scheme), Tús or Gateway their earnings from insurable
employment are assessed in the same way as your earnings from part-time or
casual work. Find out more about work
and Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Getting paid

You can collect your Jobseeker’s Allowance payment weekly from your
nearest Post Office. You must bring valid photographic identification (photo
ID) with you to collect your payment. The following is considered to be valid
photo ID:

Other benefits

Fuel
Allowance - a weekly payment between October and April to help with
fuel costs. Fuel Allowance is payable to people who have been getting a
jobseeker’s payment for 390 days, if they satisfy the relevant qualifying
conditions. Days of unemployment on Jobseeker's Benefit count towards the
390 days if the Jobseeker’s Benefit claim was immediately before the
award of Jobseeker’s Allowance.

How to apply

You should apply for Jobseeker's Allowance as soon as you become unemployed.
It is important to apply as soon as you become unemployed because you will not
get paid for the first 3 days of your claim. If your claim is linked
to a previous claim for Jobseeker's Allowance, you may be paid for the
first 3 days.

If you make
a late claim, it may be backdated if you provide good evidence for the
delay.